Stock Market & Financial Investment News

Google, Apple, RIM part of group buying Kodak patents, Bloomberg reportsApple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Research in Motion (RIMM) are among 12 patent licensees participating in plans to buy patents from Kodak (EKDKQ) for about $525M, a court filing shows, Bloomberg reports. Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), Adobe (ADBE) and Samsung (SSNLF) are also part of the group. Reference Link

News For EKDKQ;RPXC;AAPL;GOOG;RIMM;FB;AMZN;MSFT;SSNLF;ADBE From The Last 14 Days

Adobe names Abhay Parasnis as CTO, senior VP of Platform Technology & ServicesAdobe named Abhay Parasnis as chief technology officer and senior vice president of platform technology and services. Parasnis will drive Adobe’s technology strategy, architecture and innovation roadmap for its cloud services, focusing on integration of its three cloud services; providing a consistent customer experience via the cloud; and enabling the company’s cloud-based go-to-market strategies. Parasnis brings nearly 20 years of experience in the software industry. Most recently, he was president and chief operating officer of venture-funded enterprise mobility leader Kony.

Facebook price target raised to $117 at BTIG on video opportunityBTIG analyst Richard Greenfield believes Facebook can exceed consensus estimates, citing higher confidence in the company's video advertising opportunity. Greenfield, who raised his revenue estimates for Facebook in this year and next, also points out Instagram's monetization opportunity and the platform potential of WhatsApp and Messenger. The analyst raised his price target on Facebook to $117 from a "stale" target of $80 that had been set in July of last year and reiterates a Buy rating on the social network's stock, which closed at $94.97 on Friday.

Amazon.com upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at CowenCowen analyst John Blackledge upgraded Amazon.com to Outperform based on expectations the company will be number 1 U.S. apparel retailer by 2017, driven by accelerating purchasing growth. Growth is being driven by a much larger selection, ramping 1P brand relationships and superior fulfillment and technology. BlackLedge said Amazon's long-term investment philosophy in massive retail and technology markets is increasingly paying off and should continue to win as it attracts U.S. retail TAM as wall as International e-commerce leadership. Further, he expects Amazon.com's leadership to continue in the fast-growing public cloud market. BlackLedge raised his price target on Amazon shares to $565 from $435.

Analysts down on Apple Watch sales, AFP reportsCertain analysts have said that Apple's new smartwatch is not a mainstream hit due its disappointingly low sales figures, AFP reports. A study from Slice Intelligence suggests that Apple Watch orders have decreased 90% since the week the device made its debut, the report says. In response, BMO Capital Markets said it told investors that they were "disappointed" and reduced their estimate for Apple Watch sales in the upcoming year, the report adds. Richard Windsor at Edison Investment Research said that even if Slice is off the mark about the plunge in Apple Watch orders, it was evident that the wearable has sold way less than even conservative expectations, AFP says. Reference Link

YouTube advertisers surge 40% over past year, FT reportsThe number of advertisers on Google's YouTube has increased more than 40% in the past year, the Financial Times reports. YouTube said that advertisers from the top 100 brands, ranked by Interbrand, were spending 60% more on advertising than last year, the report says. The website does not disclose revenue figures, but certain data show that it is benefiting from a surge in demand for digital video advertising as millennials spend more time on the site, the report says. Reference Link